Vette(s):Silver 1974 Convertible - L82 4 speed
Low miles (was only 8,900 when I bought it in March 2006) - Now 42K miles. Original owner bought it as an investment for son's college expenses.
2008 Jetstream Blue Convertible - DAILY DRIVER!!

Joined: 9/3/2006
Posts: 2383

I don't know details, but I have heard that transition is VERY difficult and very expensive. The hardest part is getting a place to put the clutch pedal

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I wanted a Corvette my whole life, but I never dreamed of all the wonderful people I would meet because of it!

If you go with the 4 speed option you may consider using a BW Super T-10 which is stock for your '76. It would be newer and less likely to have been sitting behind a high torque monster motor for most of it's life. Seems like there's debate on other sites about which one reigns supreme but a good guess would be they're both going to be OK for the majority of our engines.

But, if money were no object, I'd go with the 5 speed - sure would be nice to have that extra gear for cruising at 70 mph. Someday I may even go that route myself.

Really if you can..put the 5 speed in..going thru all that trouble for a 4 speed wouldn't be worth it to me..but you may have 336 gears in the back so it may not be that bad for top end..and mileage..also..have you thought of making your 400 a full manual?? Only the cost of the kit and some time on the valve body and your bangin gears?? Just a thought

Doing a full manual auto is a blast..the only bad part is no matter where the throttle is it will chirp gears..hits like a rock all the time..it runs full line pressure all the time..the shifter operates as usual..start in one up to drive and down shift also..you will need a rev limiter as you can shift into 1st gear going 80to mph..its been a while since I did one but loved it..there are other options out there that are not as extreme but add a huge amount of performance above stock..good ol gill younger made a good kit and B&M and others I have used..if your trans is in good shape it only takes dropping the valve body and drilling it and the spacer plate..now if it were mine I would put the money into the auto with new redline frictions and kolene steels..update a sprag and drum and you are good to go..these things are really easy to build and cheap to do..only really need a reverse drum tool and clutch pack tool to do the job..there are some good videos out there..should be able to do the whole job for around 600$..

I have converted 3 cars. While not a simple task, it is worth it. Still have two of them, both with Keisler 5 speeds and wouldn't go back. The hardest part is getting the dash out to install the clutch lever. PM for discussion if you wish.

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